“We are honored to be [a] part of this partnership, and are pleased with the results of our recent talks and negotiations with the Emirates Cricket Board,” Naseeb Khan, CEO of the ACB, said. “Playing this T20I series is the first step in our long-term commitment, and we are looking forward to a continued relationship with ECB.”
For the UAE series, Afghanistan have selected a preliminary list of 22 players for a preparation camp in the UAE. Rashid Khan will be leading the visitors, who will be departing for the UAE next week for a conditioning camp in Abu Dhabi before the series. The squad will then be trimmed to 17 members.
But Afghanistan are yet to name their coaching staff after head coach Jonathan Trott and bowling coach Umar Gul’s contacts weren’t renewed last month. Raees Ahmadzai, the assistant coach, has been heading the back-room staff with local coaches.
Given the political situation in Afghanistan, it has remained a no-go zone for international teams. The situation escalated with the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, following which several ACB staff fled the country. Thereafter, even getting visas for Afghanistan players to play abroad became a challenge.
Afghanistan’s 22-member squad: Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Abdul Rahman Rahmani, Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Bilal Sami, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Nangyal Kharoti, Naveen Ul Haq, Nijat Masoud, Noor Ahmad, Rahmat Shah, Sediqullah Atal, Shahidullah Kamal, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Zahir Khan